


Ever Thinning Thread

by lezzerlee



Series: AELDWS Round 6 [5]
Category: Inception (2010)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Community: inceptiversary, Guns, M/M, Pre-Movie(s), aeldws
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-24
Updated: 2014-08-24
Packaged: 2018-02-14 12:02:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2191074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lezzerlee/pseuds/lezzerlee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jobs with Cobb aren’t going very well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ever Thinning Thread

**Author's Note:**

> **Genre:** Pre-movie  
>  'Pre-movie' means the drabble must be based on canon, and set before the events of the movie. As this week's prompt is a phrase, it must be quoted in its entirety.  
>  **Prompt:** “That isn’t particularly reassuring.”  
>  **Word count:** up to 350 words
> 
> Thanks so much to [riverlight](http://riverlight.dreamwidth.org/) for the beta!

Arthur feels the bullet hit the wall next to his head before hearing the gunfire. Diving sideways, he shouts, “We’re made!” voice cracking as he scrambles around the corner, scuffing the knee of his suit. More bullets hit the cobblestones as he pulls his legs behind the wall. “We need to get out of here!”

A door swings open and Dom darts across the alley as Arthur scrambles to his feet. They run for it, weaving through narrow streets towards the train station.

When they’re finally across the border and checked into a hotel, Dom steps outside to call their client. Arthur cuts open the plastic, clamshell packaging of a prepaid phone and dials Eames.

“What’s happened?” Eames says when he picks up. Only Arthur has this number, and he’s not calling from his own phone.

“We were made.”

“Bloody hell, Arthur. Cobb’s going to get you killed.”

“It wasn’t Dom’s fault this time,” Arthur says, but it comes out more a sigh. He fidgets with his shirt cuffs, brushing the dirt off the white fabric even though he’ll have to trash the whole thing anyway. Dom is pacing on the balcony in his peripheral vision.

“Darling, that isn't particularly reassuring,” Eames says. “You have to stop.”

“I can’t just leave him. He’ll never survive. He’s too—”

“Mad?” Eames interrupts.

“Reckless,” Arthur corrects.

Eames hums, deep and annoyed. “Same thing. Arthur, you don’t owe Mal anything. You can’t owe her; she’s dead.”

“I fucking know she is!” Arthur snaps. He looks up to make sure Dom is still on the phone outside and pinches the bridge of his nose in frustration. “Her kids, Eames. I can’t—”

A tense silence settles, and all Arthur can hear is the hollow hum of the long distance connection. “Listen, you do what you need to do,” Eames says, “but he’s going to bring you down with him. If you have another bad feeling about a job, you promise me you walk away.”

“I will,” Arthur says, but it sounds like a lie.

“You know where to find me,” Eames says, before hanging up.


End file.
